Whooping Cough in Babies

Question: "How contagious is whooping cough? I've heard there are more cases than there've been in ages and that whooping cough is really bad for babies. How can I protect my newborn?"

Unfortunately, you’ve heard right — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that there were 24,231 cases of whooping cough in the US in 2013, a number that's been on the rise over the past decade and is one of the highest in the past 50 years. While the DTaP vaccine is widely used and effective on children, whooping cough is fairly common in teenagers and adults, whose immunity to the illness has faded since they were vaccinated as kids. And whooping cough is highly contagious — it’s caused by airborne bacteria, which can be spread by coughing, sneezing and even laughing. Though infants can’t be vaccinated in the first two months of life, there’s plenty you can do to keep your baby (and the rest of your family, for that matter) healthy:

Be sure to get vaccinated while pregnant. The Tdap vaccine, a booster shot that protects against whooping cough in adolescents and adults, is recommended for all women during the third trimester (weeks 27 to 36) of every pregnancy, regardless of whether they've previously received it. That's because getting the shot while baby's still in your belly ensures your body creates high levels of antibodies and passes them to your cutie before birth. These antibodies will help protect your baby in the first few months of life, when he's most vulnerable to serious complications from this disease (and before he’s able to get his own vaccines).

Start your baby on the right shot schedule. Because whooping cough in babies is so dangerous (it can be fatal), it’s extra important that you immunize your little one according to the CDC’s recommended schedule. The DTaP vaccine protects against diphtheria (a bacterial respiratory disease), tetanus (a disease caused by an infected injury), and acellular pertussis (that’s whooping cough). The vaccine is given in a series of five shots (a child’s immunity starts building up around the third injection, though he isn’t best protected until the fifth and final shot). Your baby should get the first in the series at 2 months, then subsequent doses at 4 months, 6 months, 12 to 18 months and 4 to 6 years old. Your doctor’s office will be able to give you its exact immunization-schedule recommendation.

Don’t forget about adult vaccinations. Just like your favorite pair of jeans, immunity to illnesses fades — and the DTaP vaccine can lose steam as early as your tween years. So keep contagious whooping-cough bacteria at bay by getting the Tdap vaccine: Roll up your sleeve during pregnancy, and urge everyone in your house (including your babysitter) to do the same, before baby arrives if possible. Experts say that 80 percent of those who aren’t immunized against whooping cough will catch it if someone in their home is infected.

Be on the lookout for symptoms of whooping cough in babies. The whooping-cough vaccination is a sure shot, but if your baby does catch the illness before he’s received the full series, treating it quickly will up the odds of a full recovery. So know the signs of the disease: Whooping cough in babies starts off a lot like the common cold (runny nose, sneezing, a mild fever and a mild cough), but can worsen into longer fits of dry coughing. Some babies may not cough at all and instead will gag or gasp for air. It may also cause your baby to vomit or turn red or purple from respiratory distress. Though whooping cough gets its name from that high-pitched inhale after a coughing fit, infants and children don’t always “whoop” (but they may seem to have trouble breathing after a coughing spell). If you spot these signs or suspect whooping cough for any reason, call your doctor right away.

Stay away from sick people. Contagious whooping cough germs spread quickly, so even if it means that you may offend eager well-wishers, banish anyone who’s under the weather. Your baby’s health isn’t worth the risk.

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